If you are on a diet, you want to make sure you are following a safe diet plan that lets you eat foods from each food group and does not severely restrict your calories. The reason you need a great diet plan is so you can keep the weight off after you lose it. Fad diets are dangerous and unhealthy, plus they are not beneficial for long term weight loss.
If a diet claims you will lose weight fast or involves taking diet pills or using meal replacements, you should be leery. A safe diet plan is one where you can eat a wide variety of healthy and nourishing foods while learning portion control and sensible food choices.
Watch your calories. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health conducted a study and found that a heart healthy, low calorie diet will help you not only lose weight, but keep it off no matter what percentage of your calories come from fats or carbs. This means that a safe diet plan is one that includes heart healthy choices but you don’t have to severely restrict your intake of cabs or fats.
If you love pasta or beef, don’t deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Instead, choose whole grain pastas and small portions of lean beef like tenderloin. Use heart-healthy fats like olive oil to prepare your food, and balance any high-calorie items with low-calorie side dishes.
Eat lots of fruit and veggies. You can eat a lot more food for fewer calories when you fill your plate with vegetables and fruits. A safe diet plan includes smaller portions for foods like meat and pasta and larger servings of healthy vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables not only have fewer calories but because of their high fiber content they will keep you feeling full longer. A great diet plan is to fill at least a third of your plate with vegetables or fruit at every meal and to snack on fresh veggies throughout the day rather than high calorie processed snacks.
Practice Portion Control. The key to keeping calories in check is portion control. Until you are familiar with proper portion sizes, use measuring cups or specific dishes to help gauge your portions. The USDA defines one serving of pasta as cup, or about one handful. A serving of meat is three oz., or about the size of a deck of cards.
Most Americans consume three to four servings of meat and pasta without even realizing it, and those calories add up. Stick to one or two servings of protein and carbohydrates per meal, and fill the rest of your plate with steamed, grilled or fresh veggies.
Think Variety. The American Heart Association emphasizes the importance of dietary variety for both nutritional benefit and to keep your diet interesting. Include foods from every food group, and vary the items you choose.
A safe diet plan includes proteins on a rotating basis like beef, chicken, fish, beans, and lentils. For carbohydrates, you can choose pasta, quinoa, and brown rice. For a great diet plan, add a lot of locally grown fresh produce into your diet when it is in season. Prevent boredom with your diet, vary your food choices. You never know, you may stumble upon new healthy foods that you never even knew about.
Don’t waste your time and money. If you want to lose weight fast, we have reviewed several personal diet plans for quick weight loss. You can also watch my videos about healthy diet plans to lose weight quickly.
